Brockton pulling together for family of 12-year-old boy killed in accident

Wednesday

Aug 20, 2014 at 6:00 AMAug 20, 2014 at 1:51 PM

Benjamin Paulin The Patriot Ledger @BPaulin_Ledger

BROCKTON – Joel Barros’ older sister pulled her car over to the side of road on Battles Street in Brockton Tuesday afternoon and put her hazard lights on.

The 10 year old jumped out of the back seat of the car and walked towards an assortment of stuffed animals, flowers and candles on the sidewalk ahead.

Barros wanted to see the place where his friend, Nazaire Nunes-Escobar, died tragically last Thursday after being struck by a tractor-trailer. Nunes-Escobar died on his 12th birthday as he was skating in a pair of inline skates he had gotten as a gift.

“He’s my best friend,” Barros said.

The two became friends after meeting at the Raymond Elementary School, he said.

Nunes-Escobar was a jokester, Barros recalled. “He was funny. He would tell jokes,” he said smiling. The boy only stayed briefly before going back to his sister’s car to go home.

A memorial for Nunes-Escobar on Battles Street has more than doubled in size since a candlelight vigil was held there last Thursday night.

Dozens of stuffed animals of all sizes, prayer candles, balloons, toys and a set of inline skate wheels cover the sidewalk. Nearly a week after the accident, cars still drove by slowly to peer at the collection of mementos.

Outside his mother’s home, several notes of condolences – many that appear to be written by children - are taped to an outside post near the front door of the apartment.

The growth of the makeshift memorials for the 12-year-old boy is symbolic of the outpouring of support the community has shown since finding out about his passing.

Family, friends, school officials, city officials and complete strangers have come together to help try to ease the pain of those who knew Nunes-Escobar.

Speigel South Shore Scrap Metal of Brockton, which owns the trailer portion of the truck involved in the accident, was issued two citations by State Police following the accident. The driver of the truck has not been cited.

Tuesday, Tony Pusateri, the owner of Speigel South Shore Scrap Metal said he is planning on paying out of pocket for all costs for the funeral, wake, grave plot and grave stone.

“It’s such a tragic accident that’s happened and I would just like to do something heartfelt from the whole company to relieve some of the stress and the pressure on the family,” Pusateri said.

Pusateri said he had been in talks with his lawyer in recent days about whether to go through his insurance company or to pay the money out of pocket.

“I was actually trying to decide for a few days how to approach it and I wasn’t sure who to talk to,” Pusateri said. “We were trying to figure out how to do it in a way that nobody took it the wrong way. We’re paying for it out of pocket, directly to the funeral home.”

A wake will be held at St. Edith Stein/St. Edward Parish, at 71 East Main St., Brockton, Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. A funeral Mass will follow in the church at 11 a.m. Nunes-Escobar will be buried in Calvary Cemetery in Brockton following the Mass.

Russell & Pica Funeral Home on Belmont Street in Brockton will be handling the services.

Owner David Russell said he would have made the services available to the family even if there was a delay in payment if Pusateri decided to go through insurance.

“We don’t want this poor family to have to worry about coming up with funds for their 12-year-old little boy,” Russell said. “We’ve been in this community for a long time and that’s what we’re here for.”

Additionally, Bob Buckley, Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter’s chief of staff, said the city would make a burial plot available for the family.

“There’ll be no up front cost for the family,” Buckley said.

A GoFundMe online fundraising page titled “Heaven Gained an Angel” was created Saturday and more than 50 people have raised $2,645 as of Tuesday evening.

The page has been shared by more than 800 people and the goal is to raise $20,000.

The site was set up by Maria Alves, a third cousin of Nazaire’s mother, Adelina Nunes.

“If we can get there that’s great, if we can go beyond there that’s even better, because she’s a single mother and the expenses that she’s incurred and is going to incur is going to be astronomical,” Alves, 35, of Brockton said.

Alves said she is disappointed to see people lashing out at the scrap metal company and the driver of the truck. She is hoping people will focus on the positive.

“Let’s move forward. We don’t need to trash the company and trash the driver because a piece of that driver died that day,” Alves said.

Counseling services have been made available at the Raymond School, where Nunes-Escobar would have been going into the sixth grade. The services will also be made available at the beginning of the school year, said Jocelyn Meek, a spokeswoman for Brockton Public Schools.

Teachers and faculty members at the school have been pooling money to help support Nunes-Escobar’s family, Meek said.

“It’s really devastating for the school. Whenever we have a tragedy the school department is a big family,” Meek said. “Teachers and people at the school are trying to bring together some money to help.”

Buckley said he has made all city employees aware of the fundraising efforts if they would like to donate.

He said he is not surprised by the outpouring of support the community has shown.

“It just shows how great a city this is. When a neighbor is down and out other people rise up to the occasion,” Buckley said.

To make a donation to Nunes-Escobar’s family visit www.gofundme.com/d3xu6g.